I Dream of Genealogy

Research Report

 Mann family research began with the 1870 Federal Census of Virginia for John MANN. Information provided that John W. MANN was born circa 1840 in Virginia and served in the Civil War. Family states that he possibly married Anna GILL. John's father was possibly named Alphonce. Some of John & Anna's children were Cora Belle, Daisy, Waverly, John Jr., and Alphonso.

Research began with a search of the 1900 Federal Census Schedules of Virginia. The following record was located: (See Documentation #MN1)

1900 U.S. Federal Census, Virginia, Chesterfield Co., E.D. 8, Sht. 18, Ln. 80, Matoaca District

Enumeration Date: 21 JUN 1900

Other items of note in this enumeration:

1] Dwelling is listed as a rented house.

2] All members of household are able to read, write and speak English.

3] Anna states that she is the mother of 8 children and that 8 are living. All eight are listed in this enumeration.

** According to this record John Mann was born in March of 1847 in Virginia. Circa 1878, he married Anna, who was born December of 1852 in Virginia. They lived in a rented house in the Mataoca Dist. Of Chesterfield Co. where John was a house carpenter. In 1900, their eight children, John, Cora, Alphonso, Daisey, Waverly, Lilly and Elinora, most of whom worked various industrial jobs, lived with them.

Next, to determine earlier structure of the family, a search was conducted of the 1880 Census for the family of John and Anna Mann. The following record was located. (See Documentation # MN2)

1880 Federal Census Schedule, Virginia, Chesterfield Co., E.D. 66, Sht. 37, Ln. 1, Clover Hill District

Enumeration Date 16 JUN 1880

**According to this record, there is a daughter named Jennie in the family, age 2; however, family history has no record of this name. Later records will attempt to reconcile her position with the family. Cora Belle who is verified to have been born in June of 1877 should be listed in this census as a young girl of 2. Was Jennie a nickname for Cora? It could be simple misinformation on the part of the enumerator.

To determine earlier structure of the John Mann family, a search was conducted of the 1870 Census of Virginia to find John Mann living alone or with family. At this time, he would not have yet been married to Anna and would possibly be living with his parents. The following record was located: (See Documentation #MN3)

1870 Federal Census Schedule, Virginia, Chesterfield Co., p. 386, Clover Hill District

** In this 1870 record, we find our John W. Mann as a 25 year old in a household with several different surnames. Later record surveys will attempt to reconcile their relationships. The head of household appears to be Allen Moore, age 72 a farmer. He is listed with 2 women with the surname of Traylor. There are 3 Mann surnames, Nancy B., age 47, Virginia B., age 5 and John W., age 25. Also listed is Susan M. Stower, age 55.

Of these household members, Nancy B. Mann is also listed as not being able to read or write. The 1870 census does not detail relationships within families, as do the later censuses; however, it appears she could be John's mother/guardian. Virginia B. could be John's daughter or Nancy's daughter.

To determine earlier origins of this family, a search was conducted of the 1860 Census of Virginia. The following record was located: (See Documentation #MN4)

 1860 Federal Census Schedule, Virginia, Chesterfield Co., p. 56, Ln. 17 Southern District

** Here, in 1860, we find Allen Moore, again with Nancy B. Mann. In this particular census, the children's names are reported to be MOORE instead of MANN. It is possible that Susan A. is John's sister and she may be the Susan A. Traylor enumerated with the family in the 1870 record. Later record surveys will attempt to clarify this relationship. To determine earlier origins of this family line, a search was conducted of the 1850 Census of Virginia. The following record was located: (See Documentation #MN5)

 1850 Federal Census Schedule, Virginia, Chesterfield Co., p. 128, Lower District

** This record finds Nancy living with John W. and Susan, ages 5 and 8 respectively in Chesterfield Co with a man named Allen More, age 51. The surname of the children is now Mann again. Vital records of Chesterfield Co. will now attempt to clarify these relationships. Census research will be revisited after consultation of these records.

NOTE: Looking at the Mann family returns of 1850-1900, it should be noted that the ages do not always correlate from one enumeration to the next. For example, Nancy Mann is "27" in 1850, "44" in 1860, and "47" in 1870. This is common and can be attributed to several possibilities. First, the true age may not be known. Second, plain vanity. Third, the information may have been given by a third party who was guessing at the age. Fourth, a mistaken notation on the part of the enumerator.

Now that the Mann's have been accounted for in census returns from 1850 to 1900, this section of the report will cover Chesterfield County marriages from 1796 to 1897 that have been documented through official records.

Film 30, 926 Chesterfield Co., VA Marriage Register 1855 - 1896 was consulted. In regard to the marriage of John Mann and Anna, the following record was located. (See Documentation #MN6)

**This record fits the age of John Mann as being born in 1845 and Anna as being born in 1852. Also it mentions A. & Nancy Mann as John's parents, and so we now know his father's first intial is A We also now know that Anna's maiden name was Hoy and not Gill, as previously mentioned in family information. We also now know that her parents were P.H. and Martha Hoy.

In regard to Susan Mann, the following marriage record was located. (See Documentation #MN7)

**This record reflects the first marriage of Susan A. Mann to Bernard Traylor. If you consult earlier in the report to the section regarding the 1870 Census, you will see that in the family of Allen Moore, there is a Susan A. Traylor and a Martha M. Traylor. Since Bernard is not listed in the 1870 census report, he was more than likely deceased between the 1861 marriage and June 1, 1870 Martha M. Traylor would then be Susan's mother in law, whose husband, listed in this marriage record as Archer, may also be deceased by 1870.

We can now assume that John W. and Susan A. are brother and sister, because John W.'s parents from his marriage record are listed as A. & Nancy and Susan's parents are listed as Alfonso & Nancy B. It still has not been ruled out that Alfonso Mann and Allen Moore are the same person.

On p. 132 of the marriage register a second marriage was found for Susan: (See Documentation #MN8)

**This record notes Susan's second marriage and confirms that she is indeed a widow of her first husband Bernard and that her new husband, 17 years her senior, is a widower.

Now that the names of John & Susan's parents are known to be Alphonso & Nancy B., records will be consulted to locate marriage information for them.

Film 30, 869, Chesterfield Co. Marriage Register 1771 - 1853, was consulted and revealed the following record. (See Documentation #MN9)

**Now we know that Nancy Mann's maiden name was Moore and her father's name was George and that he was deceased by the date of this marriage. Note that the witness was Allen Moore, who Nancy was living with in 1850 to 1870 -- Allen is possibly Nancy's brother. Alphoncer is not listed with the family in 1850 census records and may have died between 1841 (Susan Mann was born abt. 1842, so we know he was still alive when Susan was conceived) and June 1, 1850.

Now that relationships have been clarified through marriage records, these new relationships will be examined in the census schedules of 1900-1920. For 1900 the following record was located: (See Documentation #MN10)

1900 U.S. Federal Census, Virginia, Chesterfield Co., E.D. 7, Sht. 16, Ln. 85, Matoaca District

Other items of note in this enumeration:

1] Dwelling is listed as a farm owned free and clear.

2] Susan states that she is the mother of 1 child and that child is living.

3] Nancy states that she is the mother of 2 children and both children are living. She cannot read or write.

**According to this record, Susan Martin, formerly Susan Mann now lives with her mother Nancy, now 87 years old. Susan is widowed from her second husband Michael and also lives with her daughter Virginia and Virginia's husband John Wilson. Nancy Mann indicates that she was born in June 1812 and had 2 children, both surviving in 1900. Those 2 children would be John W. and Susan. As Virginia was born in 1864, she would be the daughter of Susan and Susan's first husband Bernard TRAYLOR, since Susan did not remarry until 1880.

To see the family structure evolve through the early 20^th Century, the census of 1910 Virginia was next consulted. The following record was located: (See Documentation #MN11)

1910 U.S. Federal Census, Virginia, Petersburg City, E.D. 85, Family # 128, 200 1/2 Hurt St., Petersburg

Other items of note in this enumeration:

1] Dwelling at 200 1/2 Hurt St. is listed as a rented home.

2] Son John H. states that he was out of work as of 15 Apr 1910 and out of work 2 weeks in 1909.

** This census record indicates that as of April 15, 1910, Anna (listed as Annah in this report), was living without her husband John, and with some of her children. We know that John is still alive, because Anna indicates that she is still married and has been for 37 years. She also states that she had 12 children, but only 7 were surviving in 1910.

Who were the deceased children in 1910? In 1900 the living children were listed as Nelly, Cora, John, Alphonso, Daisey, Waverly, Lilly, and Elinora. In 1900, Anna said she was the mother of 8 children and 8 were still living, so none of the children were deceased before 1900. From the 1900 census the following children are accounted for in 1910: Cora (in NY), John, Daisy, Waverly, Lilly (Lillian), and Elinora. Missing from the family are Nelly and Alphonso.

Although the original family material received indicated that Waverley died at age 19 in 1905, he is listed in 1910 as age 33. His age was listed in 1900 as 15 and so he should be around 25 years old in 1910. More research will need to be done toward this matter to resolve the issue of when Waverley died.

Nelly and Alphonso are missing from the 1910 census report. It is possible that one of them is the parent of the 3 younger children with the family, and was deceased in the 1910 census.

Family records have noted that Daisey is the mother of the child Irene V., age 3, born in 1907, though it is important to note that Daisey lists herself as single in 1910.

It is important to note that Anna was born in December 1852 and in 1900 was 47 years old. Although she indicates her age as 55 in 1910, she should be listed as 57. Again,this was common in census records for people to not age at the correct rate. For purposes of assessing the correct age, earlier census records are the most reliable when the reporting person is on the younger side. Also helping to establish Anna's correct age as being born in 1852 is her 1870 marriage record, where she is listed at age 17.

What is puzzling is that 4 more children were added to the family between 1900 and 1910. Three of these children are noted as living with the family. They are:

Grace M., 3 months old., Born approx. January 1910

Irene V., 3 years, Born approx. 1907

Norma,7 years, Born approx. 1903

Although in 1910, Anna claims they are her children, it is doubtful that she would have given birth to them after the age of 47. Perhaps they are actually grandchildren and belong to another child in the family, possibly Daisey, Nellie, or Alphonso.

The family of Susan Martin that was detailed in the 1900 census was also located in 1910: (See Documentation # MN12)

1910 U.S. Federal Census, Virginia, Chesterfield Co., E.D. 10, Family # 56, Matoaca District

Date of Enumeration: 20 APR 1910

**This record shows that John Mann has now moved from the residence of his wife and in with his sister Susan and her daughter Virginia, and Virginia's husband, John Wilson (although spelled Willson in this particular census) John Mann's age is listed as 56 when in reality he approximately 65. Nancy Mann, Susan's mother who was 87 in the 1900 census, is no longer listed with the family and is in no census indexes. She most likely passed away between 1900 and 1910.

We know that John and Anna Mann are now both still alive in 1910, but are living in separate residences; the reason for this is not clear, but should be detailed further to understand the family structure.  

The search next moved to the census schedules of 1920. The following record was located: (See Documentation #MN13)

1920 U.S. Federal Census, Virginia, Petersburg City, E.D. 79, Sht. 11, Ln. 28, 352 Hurt St., Petersburg

**Of the 8 children listed living with this family in 1910, only John H. and Irene remain as of January 1, 1920. In this census, more of the mystery is solved as Irene, now age 14 is listed as the granddaughter of Anna Mann, instead of her daughter, as she was listed in 1910. Family record again says that Irene was the daughter of Daisy Mann and Daisy had died young, perhaps between 1910 and 1920. More research will need to be conducted during this period to determine the number of Anna's children living in 1920.

Also, Anna is listed herself as widowed. Her husband, John was not living with her in 1910, yet they were still married. Also of note is that the address has changed from 200 1/2 Hurt St. in 1910, to 352 Hurt St. in 1920. A search of the Susan Martin family from 1910 was conducted. The following record was located. (See Documentation #MN14)

1920 U.S. Federal Census, Virginia, Chesterfield Co., E.D. 15, Sht. 3, Ln. 79, Matoaca Dist.

** The family structure is basically the same as it was in 1910, although Susan's brother, John is no longer living with the family. Anna says in her 1920 enumeration that she is widowed, which indicates that John has died; however the following record was located: (See Documentation #MN15)

1920 U.S. Federal Census, Virginia, Chesterfield Co., E.D. 13, Sht. 27, Ln. 79, Matoaca Dist., Woodpecker Road

Enumeration Date: 17 JAN 1920

**According to this 1920 record, John Mann at age 75 was now living alone on Woodpecker Road in Chesterfield Co. where he rented a home. He, like his wife Anna in Petersburg, has listed himself as a widower, even though Anna is alive and well. This may be because they did not want to admit to the census taker that they were indeed separated.  

A search of the probate records of Chesterfield Co. was undertaken to establish with greater security the family relationships.

Film 30, 870 Chesterfield Co. Probate record index 1749 - 1847 was consulted.

Specifically, a record was being searched for that listed Alphoncer Mann as a will beneficiary or author. No will for Alphoncer was found and no Mann will mentioned him by name. Census returns before 1850 do not mention children by name and therefore his parent's names cannot be found through census.

In a list of estate sales for a Pleasant A. Mann, deceased in 1846, one of the sales was made to Allen Moore, the brother of Nancy Moore and the brother-in-law of Alphoncer Mann. This is a slight connection, indicating that there was some contact between the Alphoncer Mann family and the Pleasant A. Mann family, but does not establish a parentage link.

If Pleasant A. Mann is the father of Alphoncer Mann, then a Worsham Mann of Chesterfield Co. would be the grandfather of Alphoncer Mann. Pleasant A. Mann is listed as the son of Worsham & Prudence Mann in the will of Worsham Mann, deceased in 1838.

The estate papers of Pleasant A. Mann and Worsham Mann have been noted and will be detailed in depth should a definite connection be made to Alphoncer Mann.

Who are the parents of Alphoncer/Alfonso Mann? As mentioned in the probate section, there is a slight connection between the George H. Moore family and the Pleasant A. Mann family in 1830, not to mention they were extremely close geographically and were neighbors. A second possibility is the Joseph Mann family. In 1840, very close to the time when Alphoncer married Nancy Moore, Alphoncer is not listed as a head of a household or living on his own, so he was most likely living with his parents. The only two households in close proximity to the Moore family residence in 1840 that have a male of Alphoncer's age in residence are the Pleasant A. Mann family who had a male age 40-50 (Pleasant) a female age 30-40 and a male 30-40 (possibly Alphoncer). The other possibility, Joseph Mann, also lived in close proximity to Nancy Moore and had 1 male 50-60 (Joseph), 1 female 50-60(wife), and 1 male age 20-30 (possibly Alphoncer).

Neither Pleasant or Joseph left wills for their estates so Alphoncer cannot be designated through probate. Other possibilities are local church records from the mid-1800's and land records that may reveal deeds and transfers of the land the Mann's owned in Virginia.

In regard to military service within the Mann family, the Consolidated Index to Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers was searched and revealed 4 occurrences of the John Mann name serving Virginia and one John W. Mann. The actual records should be obtained to reveal if any belong to the John W. Mann of this report. One thing to consider in the area of military service is that the 1910 Census asks if any household members are survivors of the Union or Confederate Army or Navy. John Mann, at this time, living with his sister Susan and her family, does not indicate to the census taker that he served. (See Documentation #MN12).

Alphoncer Mann was born circa 1820 in Virginia. On 06 Dec 1841, he married Nancy B. Moore, daughter of George Moore in Chesterfield Co., Virginia. They had two children, Susan A. Mann, b. October 1842 and John W. Mann b. abt. 1845. Alphoncer died before 1850 and Nancy raised the two children in the home of her brother, Allen. Susan married Bernard B. Traylor on 19 Dec 1861 and they had one child, Virginia B. Traylor, born in April 1864. Bernard died before 1870 and Susan remarried on 05 Jan 1880 to Michael W. Martin. He died before 1900. Daughter Virginia B. Traylor married John B. Wilson circa 1898. They had no children.

John W. Mann married Anna J. Hoy, daughter of P.H. and Martha Hoy on 09 Aug 1870 in Chesterfield Co., Virginia. They had 8 children as follows:

By 1910, Anna and John were living separately, she in Petersburg with some of her children and grandchildren, and he was living with his sister Susan in Chesterfield Co. By 1920, John was 75 and living alone in Chesterfield Co. Anna continued to live in Petersburg with her son John and granddaughter Irene.

1] Land records and deeds to establish lands owned in Virginia.

2] Court records to detail legal affairs.

3] Military records to determine extent of military service.

Alan J. Dolifka

Researcher